Flexible Fund Showcase

Tuesday, 6th October 2026

The Milner Hotel, York, 9am – 4:30pm

Come check out the latest projects powered by SPIN-D Network Plus flexible funding and meet the researchers behind them!

The SPIN-D Network+ is a collaborative effort to improve dementia care and prevention. We aim to bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, people with dementia, and their families to create innovative solutions. We fund innovative proof of principle and inclusion in practice research, and run interactive events to build new research collaborations and move research findings into practice to enhance sustainability and reduce research waste. We have a Flexible Fund to support various activities, including:

• Scientific Calls: Funding for research projects focusing on dementia prevention and care.
• Sandpits: Workshops where experts can share ideas and co-create projects.
• Micro-challenges: Funding for small projects that explore innovative approaches to dementia.
• ECRs: Support for Early Career Researchers through internships and small grants.

Proof of principle projects supported so far include the following topic areas:

• Brain health promotion, including developing AI for personalised health messaging and behaviour change; and Movement Inspired by Martial Arts.
• Understanding dementia risk, using large-scale health data to better understand how dementia risk factors develop across populations.
• Communicating risk, sharing diagnosis and risk information compassionately.
• Safer Medicines and prevention, improving prescribing practices to reduce medication-related risks in people with dementia.

Inclusion in practice projects supported so far include the following topic areas:

• Brain health & risk, understanding dementia risk factors, and potential mitigation of decline through interventions.
• Communication and planning​, supporting speech and language training for professionals and workshops for facilitating decision-making in dementia.
• Supporting living with dementia​, the role of engaging with domestic gardens and other activities; and rehabilitation for people with dementia after a fragility fracture.

Researchers who have been awarded flexible funding will showcase their projects and there will be time for discussion and networking. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The venue is the Milner Hotel, in the historic city of York: The Milner York: 4 star Hotel near the Historic York.